Threat Vector

President Wei Zhen Lin is about to commit suicide rather than suffer a humiliating arrest and show trial.  China is suffering hard times and he is about to be the fall guy.  To his surprise, Chairman Su of the military takes his side, thus saving his presidency.  Though grateful, Wei knows this means he is beholden to Su and Su would rather use the military than the economy to conquer.  Wei acquiesces.  Su intends to absorb Hong Kong and Taiwan and also seize supremacy of the South China Sea.  Obviously, the United States and President Jack Ryan will oppose this but Su has a strategy.  Of course, China can't compete with the US military but it has cyberwar supremacy.  Its hackers can hijack drones and read CIA communiques.

Meanwhile, the Campus - a secret off-the-books intelligence agency established by President Ryan - has been investigating a hacking group led by a figure named Center.  Center has almost omniscient knowledge and appears capable of hacking every computer system.  Is Center somehow related to the hacking of US drones?  Can the Campus counter the hackers before the tensions between the US and China escalate to full scale war?

The story is told from a variety of perspectives.  There is Jack Ryan Jr, who works as an agent and analyst at the Campus.  There is his father, President Ryan, who tries to navigate the rising hostility of China while being hamstrung by failing technology and devastating cyber attacks.  There is Velentin Kovalenko, an ex-Russian Intelligence officer, who has been forcibly recruited by the mysterious Center.  Adam Yao is a CIA agent in Hong Kong who avoids reporting his movements to Langley because there is a leak that has decimated most intelligence assets in China.  Marine Pilot Brandon "Trash" White finds himself dogfighting Chinese fighters in the Taiwan Straight as the situation escalates.

This is a surprisingly good book and a bit scary.  Written in 2012, it is odd to see China cracking down on Hong Kong and making moves to secure the South China Sea.  That's currently happening.  Huh.  Of course, I had seen several Jack Ryan movies but it was quite a surprise to find that he is now President and his son is the spy.  The book digs into the technology, be it computers, F/A-18C Hornets, or ship-killing missiles.

Thumbs up!